Knockdown box



A. G. PETIT. KNOCKDO WN BOX.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30, I9I9. 1,340,248, Patented May 18, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- A: G. PETIT. xnocknoww BOX. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30, I919; I 1,340,248, Patented May 18, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR G. PETIT, 0F SOUTI 'IBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

KNOCKDOWN BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented lIay 18, 1920,

Application filed August '30, 1919. Serial No. 320,761.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR G. Pn'rrr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Southbridge, in the county of \Vorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Knockdown Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

' The object of this invention is to provide a simple, efilcient and inexpensive container which may be used repeatedly for the shipment of goods and which may be returned to a consignor in a compact form after the goods shipped therein have been removed. The invention seeks to provide a container for the stated purpose which may be easily and rapidly manufactured and which may be very easily put together or taken apart as the occasion demands.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box containing the improvements in the assembled condition;

Fig. 2 is a plan view partly broken away;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the parts of the container partly separated.

The container embodying my present invention consists of a plurality of members each stamped from a rectangular sheet of metal and so formed as to be easily brought into locking engagement with each other. The container comprises two end walls and four side walls and either side wall may be the top or the bottom. For convenience, will refer to that wall which appears upper most in the accompanying drawings as the top wall and the opposite wall as the bottom wall or the bottom. Two of the side walls are identical in construction, these walls being indicated in the accompanying drawings by the reference numerals 1. and 2. One side edge of each of these walls is left free and straight asit appears in the original blank and the opposite side edge is formed with an overhanging inturned flange 3, while each end edge of these walls is formed with an inturned flange. The space between each flange and the adjacent face of the wall serves as' a groove which may be engaged by the edge or flange of a cooperating wall as will more fully presently appear. One side wall 5 is edge with a flange 6 whic is not doubled rovided at each on itself butprojects from the face of the wall at a right angle, the ends of the adjacent flanges being spaced apart, as shown at 7, thereby providing notches which will accommodate the coacting flanges on meeting walls. The remaining side wall 8 is constructed along its side edges with flanges 9 projecting at right angles to the adjacent face of the wall and these flanges are adapted to bear against the outer faces of the side walls 1 and 2 when the parts are assembled. The end walls 10 and 11 are each provided at its upper edge with an overhanging inturned flange 12 which when the parts are assembled will lie between the walls 1 and 2, meeting the flanges 3 thereon, and will be disposed at the inner side of the end walls and spaced therefrom. The side edges of each end wall 10 and 11 are constructed with flanges 13 which project outwardly from the said walls at right angles to the adjacent faces of the walls and are adapted, when in position, to engage in the grooves provided by the flanges at, as shown most clearly in Figs. 1 and 4:. The upper extremities of these flanges 13 are turned outwardlyto provide hooks 14 which are adapted to engage over the upper edges of the meeting walls 1 and 2 and thereby aid in preventing spreading of said walls. The lower edge of the wall 10 is left straight as in the original blank but in the lower portion of said wall is an opening 15 through which and a similar opening 16 in the meeting wall 8 a sealing wire 17 may be passed, as shown in Fig. 1, the ends of said wire being joined by a seal in an obvious manner. The lower edge of the wall 11 is provided with an inwardly projecting straight flange 19 which is adapted to engage over the end of the wall 8, as shown in Fig. 3 and in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the end edge of the wall 8 which is disposed adjacent the flange 19 being left straight and u'nformed -as in the original blank, while, at the opposite end edge'of said wall 8, tongues 20 are struck up to engage the inner face of the adjacent wall 10 and thereby aid in guiding said wall into its proper position.

The construction of the several walls having been thus described, the manner of assembling them into a box or container will be readily understood. The walls 10 and 11 are slid downwardly through the grooves presented by the end flanges 4 of the walls 1 and 2 until the hooks 14; of the respective end walls engage over the upper edges of the said walls 1 and 2, the flanges 3 on said walls 1 and 2 terminating short of the ends of the said walls so as to accommodate the flanges 12, as clearly shown in Fig; 4. The wall 5 is then pushed vented. It may be noted at this time that the hooks 14 fit over the edges of the walls 1 and 2 and engage against the outer faces of the same so that spreading of the walls is prevented and the walls and 11 serve as braces to prevent collapsing of the walls l and 2 or inward movement of the same at the ends thereof and the engagement of the flanges 13 with the flanges 4 further .prevent outward movement of the ends of the walls 1 and The flanges 6 of the wall 5 effectually prevent outward movement of all the walls so that a firm structure is thus produced having one open side through which the goods to be shipped may be inserted. After the container has been filled, the wall 8 is. slipped into position with its inner surface resting upon the edges of the walls 1, 2 and 10 and its side flanges 9 fitting against the outer surfaces of the walls 1 and 2, the smooth end of the wall fitting under the flange 19. After this wall 8 has been thus placed in position the container is sealed, as shown and as described, and the device is then ready for shipment. When the goods are to be removed from the container, it may be turned so as to rest upon the edges of the flanges 3 and 12, after which the seal is broken and the wall 8 withdrawn. The goods are then removed and after the container is empty it is lifted so that pressure may be exerted upon the outer side of the wall 5 to push it inwardly and release the flangesfi 'from their engagement with the flanges 3 and 12 whereupon the walls 10 and 11 may be slid or lifted from between the walls 1 and 2 as will be readily understood on reference to Fig. 4:.

It will be readily noted that my box or container will be rigid when assembled for use and may be very easily and quickly knocked down so as to be returned to the original consignor in a very compact form. The flanges at the several edges of the meeting wall interlock so as to effectually prevent relative movement of the several walls while the container is in transit and until the goods shipped therein have been removed. The several walls mayl-be very easily and cheaply produced from sheet metal blanks in a bending machine so that should any one wall be lost or destroyed it may be replaced at a trfling cost.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: Y

1. A container of the class described comprising side walls provided along their side edges with inturned overhanging flanges, end walls fitted between the side walls at the ends thereof and also provided with inturned overhanging flanges at one edge, and a closing wall constructed to fit between the said end walls and said side walls and provided at all its edges with straight outstanding flanges adapted to engage under the overhanging flanges of the said side walls and the end walls.

2. A container of the class described comprising side walls provided with inwardly extending. flanges at their ends and with inwardly extending overhanging flanges along one side edge, said last mentioned flanges terminating short of the first-mentioned flanges, end walls provided each along one edge with an inturned overhanging flange and along its side edges with outwardly projecting straight flanges adapted to engage the inwardly extending end flanges of the side walls, and a closing Wall adapted to fit between said side walls and said end walls and provided along all its edges with straight outwardly projecting flanges adapted to engage under the overhanging flanges of the end walls and the overhanging flanges on the side edges of said side walls.

3. A container of the class described comprising side walls, end walls fitting between the ends of the side walls and interlocked therewith, one of the end walls having an inwardly projecting straight flange at one edge, a closing wall fitting between said side walls and said end walls and interlocked therewith, and a second closing wall disposed opposite to the first mentioned closing wall and provided along its side edges with straight flanges to engage against the outer faces of the said side walls, one end of said second closing wall engaging under the straight flange on one end wall, and means for securing the other end wall to the last mentioned closing wall.

4. A container of the class described comprising side walls each provided' at both ends and along one side'edge with inwardly projecting overhanging flanges, end walls each provided on its outer face along parallel edges with outturned straight flanges to engage behind the overhanging flanges at the ends of the side walls and along a connecting edge with an inwardly projecting overhanging flange, said end walls being further provided with outturned hooks at the ends of their outturned flanges adjacent their edges having the overhanging flanges to engage over the edges of the side walls at the ends thereof, one of said end walls further provided with an inturned straight flange at the edge parallel with the edges of the side Walls, one end of said edge having the overhanging flange, a clossecond closing wall engaging under said 10 ing wall provided at all its edges with outinwardly projecting straight flange on the standing straight flanges to engage under one end Wall, and means for securing the 5 the inwardly projecting overhanging flanges opposite end of said closing Wall to the of the side and end walls, a second closing other end wall. a Wall provided along its side edges with In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature. 15 straight flanges to engage over the straight ARTHUR G. PETIT. [L. s.] 

